Navigating the Complexities of Carcinoid Heart Disease and Severe Coronary Artery Disease: A Case for Multidisciplinary Collaboration

TL;DR

This case report discusses a patient with two complex heart conditions and highlights the importance of teamwork among specialists for effective treatment.

Contribution

The paper presents a rare case combining carcinoid heart disease and severe coronary artery disease, emphasizing the need for multidisciplinary collaboration.

Findings

The patient had severe coronary artery disease and carcinoid heart disease due to a metastatic neuroendocrine tumor.

Diagnostic tests confirmed right-sided heart involvement and a high coronary artery calcium score.

The case underscores the challenges in managing overlapping cardiac pathologies.

Abstract

This case report presents a 71-year-old male with a complex cardiac pathology involving severe coronary artery disease (CAD) and carcinoid heart disease (CHD) secondary to metastatic neuroendocrine tumor (NET). The patient presented with symptoms of orthopnea, persistent lower extremity edema, and fatigue. Diagnostic investigations revealed a highly elevated coronary artery calcium score, echocardiographic evidence of right-sided heart involvement typical of CHD, and positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) confirmation of metastatic NET. This case highlights the diagnostic challenges posed by the coexistence of CHD and CAD and emphasizes the need for a multidisciplinary approach to optimize patient management.

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